Animals

Quarantine riskAustralia to kill pigeon that crossed Pacific from US

A pigeon has survived an extraordinary 13,000km Pacific Ocean crossing from the United States to find a new home in Australia. Now authorities consider the bird a quarantine risk and plan to kill it.

Marmion MarineSwimmers warned as shark detections increase

A shark warning has been issued for Mullaloo Beach and Three Mile Reef in the Marmion Marine Park after an increased number of shark detections.

Animal crueltyMan banned from owning pets after starving dog

A Midland man has been fined and banned from owning any animals for a decade after neglecting and mistreating a pet dog and rat to within inches of their lives.

Sarah Steger

Swimmers evacuatedGreat white lurking in shallows closes another beach

The sighting comes after authorities were yesterday forced into action after receiving a flurry of reports of great white sharks stalking WA’s coastline.

Michael Traill

Animal crueltyPet owners warned as Perth heads for 40C scorcher

An urgent warning has been issued to pet owners as Perth heads for a 40C scorcher today, with the RSPCA saying officers are receiving about 18 calls a week for dogs left in hot cars.

unusual call-outPerth Zoo orang utan gets health check

Doctors, some usually tasked with treating human patients, were brought into the zoo’s wildlife hospital on Friday to give 33-year-old Dinar his first check-up under general anaesthetic for six years.

Michael Traill

Baby boomDozens of pet rabbits rescued from boxes, cages

Animal advocates have spent two days removing more than 100 rabbits from horrific conditions at a Perth home after the couple that owned them became overwhelmed by a population explosion.

WATCH the incredible videoCroc v Shark! WA drone footage stuns travellers

‘We were pretty shocked, especially because it was two predators swimming around right near where we were fishing and paddling’.

Taylar Amonini

opinion
opinion
Doggone it
opinion
Sounds ruff, but the RSPCA needs $20m

The RSPCA is a strange beast. It shapes the public school of thought, but cannot move too far ahead of popular opinion.

Ben HarveyChief Reporter

Horror strikePerth man wins fight to save dog after Tinder attack

A pet owner has saved his dog from immediate destruction after it bit his Tinder date on the face, leaving her with a hole in her cheek requiring dozens of stitches and plastic surgery.

Shannon Hampton

exclusive
exclusive
Animal welfare
exclusive
‘Time running out’ to act on horror mass cattle deaths

Nearly two years after the mass deaths of cattle in horrific conditions on two northern stations, the WA Liberals have warned ‘time is running out’ to lay charges over the shocking incidents.

Josh Zimmerman

Self-made manSmoothy sheds $50m of property over export cynicism

WA pastoralist and mining entrepreneur Brent Smoothy says a $50m turnover of his farming portfolio over 18 months was triggered by the State agriculture minister’s negative stance on live export.

Jenne Brammer

WATCHYouTube star’s close encounter with aggressive sharks

A hair-raising video has emerged of a West Australian YouTube star putting his hand into a churning shiver of aggressive sharks.

Staff writers

‘Critical conditionWarning for Perth dog owners after mystery illness

Perth dog owners who attended the City of Stirling’s Paw-some Day Out have been warned to check their pooches for virus symptoms after a labrador contracted a respiratory disease.

Caitlyn Rintoul

Howling shame‘Bloody dog’ gets govt sport grant money

A scheme designed to help disadvantaged WA kids get into sport was so severely mismanaged under the Barnett-Government that a dog was funded by taxpayers, according to Labor MP Mick Murray.

Michael Traill

Wave of supportSharpey’s mates push for drumlines off WA beaches

Friends of Esperance surfer Andrew Sharpe have intensified their calls for a further roll-out of drumlines off WA beaches, but the State Government is not onboard.

Michael Traill and Ben Downie

Snap attack‘Scariest thing ever’: Man attacked by croc

A man in his 30s was bitten on the face and head by a saltwater crocodile in WA’s Kimberley region on Friday.

review
review
A Life on Our Planet
review
Attenborough turns attention to humans in new doco

If A Life on Our Planet is to be David Attenborough’s final film, he has definitely saved his most important lesson for last.

Sniffing them out‘Hero’ rat honoured with medal for land-mine detection

A specially trained ‘hero rat’ has received a gold medal from a British charity for helping detect deadly landmines in Cambodia.

‘Neglect’ claimsEx-MP and son face sheep cruelty charges

Former conservative politician Nigel Hallett, who once served on a parliamentary committee investigating the RSPCA, faces allegations of poor treatment of sheep on his family farms.

Neale Prior

Shell of a dayFacebook famous tortoise turns 54 in style

WATCH: One of Perth Zoo’s oldest residents, Cerro the Galapagos Tortoise, has turned 54 in style with a specially crafted watermelon birthday cake — and it’s safe to say he enjoyed it.

Welfare upgradeTwo-tier sheep ship Al Shuwaikh retired from Australia

No Australian sheep will be carried on two-tier ships by the end of 2021, after one vessel was sold and another was earmarked for modification

Jenne Brammer

Puppy farmPolice discover 25 dogs in Bellevue home

Police have discovered an alleged puppy farm in Perth’s north-east, as almost 30 dogs — including 16 puppies as young as one week old — were rescued from a Bellevue man’s home.

Sarah Steger

Huge breakthroughBee venom can ‘completely destroy’ breast cancer cells

Bees could offer a new weapon in the war on breast cancer — with research by a Perth PhD student finding that venom from honeybees kills aggressive breast cancer cells.

Bethany Hiatt